. An Investigation of the Heavy Constituents of the Atmosphere. of such a gascould have been detected. As this existed in 100 tons of air, it represents 1 partin 2,560,000,000 by volume. All of the magnesium and lime used to extract nitrogen had been kept instoppered bottles. Eamsay and Travers tested the magnesium and limeused by them in the preparation of argon, but no tests had been made withsuch a mixture over which a gas containing a considerable proportion ofkrypton and xenon had been passed. It was thought possible that althoughargon and the lower members of the series did not react, th


. An Investigation of the Heavy Constituents of the Atmosphere. of such a gascould have been detected. As this existed in 100 tons of air, it represents 1 partin 2,560,000,000 by volume. All of the magnesium and lime used to extract nitrogen had been kept instoppered bottles. Eamsay and Travers tested the magnesium and limeused by them in the preparation of argon, but no tests had been made withsuch a mixture over which a gas containing a considerable proportion ofkrypton and xenon had been passed. It was thought possible that althoughargon and the lower members of the series did not react, those of higher P 2 208 Prof. R. B. Moore. An Investigation of the [June 23, atomic weight might do so. The magnesium and lime over which the gascontaining most krypton and xenon had been passed was therefore treated inthe following manner :— It was placed in the round-bottomed Jena flask A (fig. 5) which was con-nected with a large U-tube containing pure dilute hydrochloric acid. E is aphosphorus pentoxide tube, one end of which was connected with a Topler. Fig. 5. pump. The whole apparatus, after being made perfectly air-tight, wasexhausted. Connection could be made between the two sides of the U-tubeby opening the tap D. When exhausted, the tap D was closed, and waterallowed to run in slowly through B. The evolved gas was passed through theacid in C by which the ammonia was retained and the unabsorbed gas wascollected at the pump, sparked with oxygen over sodium hydroxide solutionand the excess of oxygen removed by means of phosphorus. The two orthree bubbles of gas left consisted of nitrogen derived from traces of air inthe apparatus (fig. 5), and which had not been removed owing to insufficientsparking. There was no rare gas present. Another sample of the same gaswas analysed, with the following result:— Carbon dioxide ...... Carbon monoxideSilicon hydride ..... •««•«•« Per JLX 2*2086-34 100*65 1908.] Heavy Constituents of the Atmosphere. 209 The solut


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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectproceed, bookyear1908